• Inspiring

    better people.

    Inspiring

    better musicians.

    A music activity book infused with social-emotional learning lessons.

    By Scott Lang & Robert Sheldon

  • for directors

    Every song comes in four parts, A to D, from beginner to advanced, so each student plays at the right level while the whole ensemble plays together.

    Teacher samples

    Order on J.W. Pepper

    for families

    Practice records are replaced with conversation starters, performances and family time.

    Find your child’s book

    On Amazon

    for students

    Making music should be fun. Being a kid should be fun.

    Meet the band

  • Reimagining

    how we teach.

    A revolutionary and radically fun approach to music learning.

  • Five units.

    Solo to quintet.

    The units are built in sequence on the five elements of social-emotional learning, starting with self-awareness. The music grows with them: single lines become duets, trios, quartets and small ensembles.

    Unit 1

    Solo

    Discovering you, discovering music

    Name Your Instrument

    Know Where You Started

    What is Leadership?

    Unit 2

    Duet

    Role modeling

    Self-Assessment

    Find Someone Who

    Role Modeling and Being an Influencer

    Unit 3

    Trio

    Getting along and social awareness

    Getting Along With Difficult People

    Dealing With Conflict

    Listening to Others

    Unit 4

    Quartet

    Making good decisions

    Conductor as a Leader

    Musical Styles

    Improvising

    Unit 5

    Quintet

    Setting and meeting goals

    Difficulties of Setting Goals

    Memory Magic

    Chamber Ensembles

    Parts A, B, C and D let every student play at their own level inside one group, and full scores close each unit.

  • Real characters, real diversity, real solutions.

    Our nine characters (Brayden, Mada, Evan, Elise, Aiko, Miguel, Tanisha, Amir, and Rexi the dog) represent different ethnicities, nationalities and personalities. Each character speaks to their unique challenges (Asperger syndrome, paraplegia, struggles with learning) in a meaningful way that speaks to diversity, empathy, and acceptance.

    “The only way to know how far you have gone is to know where you started.”

    Amir, flute

    “Every person is unique. Every situation is unique. Every leader is unique.”

    Evan, drums

    “’Cause dogs make everything better.”

    Rexi

  • Sample the FUN.

    When it’s complete, students have learned a great deal, and they have a memory-filled journal that they and their parents will treasure forever.

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    Name your instrument

    Boy, girl, zombie or super hero? Students give their instrument a name and a personality.

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    Know where you started

    Students rate their reading and playing from 1 to 10, then measure how much they grow.

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    Band-It Band

    Memorize a tune, then surprise someone on their birthday.

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    More than one way to play

    Air band, buzz and bop, then read the music forward, backward, up and down.

    Also inside: a leadership application with class jobs, parent and family pages, chamber ensembles and arranging, plus Let’s Play!, Leadership Thought and Crazy Story.

    Band student sample

    Band teacher sample

  • Find the right book.

    All
    Music FUNdations for Band
    Music FUNdations for Strings

  • FUNdorsements.

    Praise for Music FUNdations

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    "one of a kind ..."

    THIS BOOK IS ONE OF A KIND! Groundbreaking, relevant and fun… Music FUNdations is all of this and more. Not only will your students enjoy making music together, but social and emotional learning is woven seamlessly throughout the book in ways that speak directly to students. Timely and crucial topics such as diversity, acceptance, bullying, leadership, and music advocacy are cleverly fused with the musical selections to make this book truly special.

    Wendy Higdon

    Nationally Recognized Educator & Blogger
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    "tremendous resource ..."

    Music FUNdations is a timely and pedagogically sound resource for band directors and students. The team of Scott Lang and Robert Sheldon have created a rare instrumental music method that incorporates leadership development, diversity and inclusion, and social-emotional awareness. I highly encourage instrumental music educators to add this tremendous resource by two icons in our profession to their curriculum.

    Steven Moss

    Director of Fine Arts, Duncanville ISD

  • Meet our FUNauthors.

    Scott Lang and Robert Sheldon are two of the most preeminent voices in the field of music education.

    Music FUNdations is the cumulative result of over thirty-five years in the classroom and seventy-five years in the profession. Every effort and expense has been invested into this labor of love, and we sincerely hope you see the love, care, and dedication on each and every page. And did we mention we have a dog?

    Scott Lang — 2,000+ workshops with 100,000+ students

    Robert Sheldon — Co-author of Sound Innovations

  • More from Scott Lang.

    Bring Scott to your school

    Scott Lang Leadership

    Workshops and keynotes for students, directors and conventions.

    Be Part of the Music

    Free recruitment videos and tools for your program.

    Band Dad’s Podcast

    The wild world of band parenting, with humor.

    Scott’s Cup-A-Joe

    Weekly leadership insights and a community for music educators.

    Music Advocacy

    Stats, stories and tools to make the case for music education.

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    Stay informed. Stay inspired.

    Sign up for the free sample pages and news for directors.

  • Get in touch.

    You + FUNdations = perfect harmony.

    (480) 577-5264

    scott@scottlang.net

    TML Publications, LLC

    505 South Camellia Drive

    Chandler, AZ 85225

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